Capture
by NerdyWriterGirl
Summary: After a late-night battle, Danny is captured by none other than Jack and Maddie Fenton. With growing suspicions that Maddie knows more than she's letting on and attempting to cope with what happened, Danny wonders if life could ever be the same, or if he will need to take drastic actions. (No suicide) Rated for psychological trauma and slight gore. I don't own DP. Slight DxS
1. A Long Night

I dodged the ectoblast to the left before running at Skulker. He slashed at me with a single glowing green blade that had extended from his suit, but I was able to duck while sweeping out with my legs, catching him off guard and sending him tumbling to the ground. I came up to where he was lying, preparing a witty comeback, when his missile launcher extended and fired, sending a dozen rockets my way. Instinctively, I threw up a shield, but the force pressed me into a wall anyway. I slumped to the ground and Skulker took this time to stand up, while I prepared my next ecto-attack, letting the energy build up in my hands. I fired it, and Skulker crashed into a building. Confident he was weak enough, I grabbed the thermos and sucked him in. The usual banter was exchanged, and he yelled something along the lines of "I'll get your head next time, Ghost Boy!" before I capped the capture device and let out a deep breath.

I clipped the thermos onto my belt and leaned against the wall, pressing my hand to my side and testing for broken ribs. Three, I predicted. I groaned, feeling the familiar ache of my super-fast healing process kicking in, but knew I would be sore in the morning. After catching my breath, I took to the air, ready for some much needed sleep.

The dark night unfolded over my head, a cool blanket rustling through my hair. It was about ten, and I knew I still had at least an three hours of homework left to do, factoring in at least two to three ghost attacks. I figured I would probably fall asleep halfway through my homework, meaning I wouldn't finish my English. Just thinking about the expression on Lancer's face when I didn't hand it in tomorrow stirred guilt and embarrassment in my heart. Contrary to his apparent belief, I didn't enjoy failing his class.

I was deep in thought, soaring over my city, when I felt a searing pain hit my stomach. I yelled in surprise and pain, losing my flight and spiraling toward the ground. I crashed into The Amity Park, the grass cushioning my fall. Managing to roll onto my back, I groaned and pulled myself up, rubbing my stomach. Sore, hopefully not too badly burned.

I scanned the area, my green eyes flaring as I attempted to locate the threat. I couldn't see anyone, my attacker remaining anonymous. I managed to get to my feet and, leaning against a tree, take a breather.

It was then that a heard the rumbling.

The noise started out quiet, like a distant highway, but built and grew into the roar of an overhead waterfall. Until finally, to my absolute horror, the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle roared into view, and, by the driving, my dad was in command of the wheel.

I panicked, and tried to fly, turn invisible, intangible, anything, but I was trapped. For some reason, my ghost powers weren't responding. I wracked my brain, trying to remember the newest invention dad had been yelling about when I had gotten home, but everything was just a blur.

I heard the door slam as mom exited the RV. A thump followed as my dad fell out, his bulk slamming into the ground. In any other case I would have laughed, but at the moment I was too busy running for my life, or afterlife, at the moment.

I tore through the park, running into the more heavily forested area. I could hear my mother behind me, gracefully dodging trees and leaping over bushes. Dad just kind of blundered through behind her, ripping through the brush. I could hear their footsteps echo through the growth, insults and ectoblasts hurtling at me.

I never saw the root. It was a big twisted and gnarled thing, a smooth patch worn into it where other people had grazed it with hiking boots and sneakers. The dirt from underneath it had been cleared away, leaving a small space, most likely by those before me who had fallen prey to the sudden tuber. It was this space that grabbed onto my boot. That twisted my ankle. That caused me to fall straight on my face. That let my mom catch up to me, stand over me with a ecto-gun pointed at my head, my father huffing next to her, hands pressed to his knees in an attempt to draw breath. I rolled onto my back.

"Don't move, you ectoplasmic scum." My mom's voice was even and steady, and the reflection of my luminous green eyes glinted off her goggles. My breaths were deep and ragged, the deep pain in my chest flaring with each intake. She stared me down, the world around us still for just a moment. The hunter stared down at the hunted as it quaked in fear. Almost poetic.

"We've…" -breath- "…Got you…" –breath- "…Now…" –breath- "…Ghost Boy!" Dad hoisted the Fenton Bazooka over his shoulder as he finally caught the breath that had been so desperately racing away from him.

"Please." Was all I managed to say. It was slightly pathetic, but the only thing I was able to utter as my side cut into my vocabulary, and I grasped it, gasping in pain. I saw the ghost of her eyes behind the glass glance down at my side, seeing the ripped suit and bruised skin, I'm sure. But that didn't differ her drive.

"We are going to take you back to the lab." She mono-toned. "We are going to lock you up. You will never escape. You will never be free to terrorize our town again. We will run tests on you. You will cooperate. If you do not, then we will have to make _sure_ you do."

"Please…" I whispered again. It was all I could do to keep myself Phantom. I quickly weighed my options. One; I turn into Danny, and face the possibility that my parents will take me in for experimentation anyway. Worst case scenario they try and get rid of my ghost half. Two; they capture me. Jazz will notice I'm gone tomorrow morning, and come looking for me. She knows to check in the lab. Worst case scenario, I get ripped apart molecule by molecule or dissected, dead for good.

I had to choose between the possibilities of either losing my life, or my ghost powers. It was an easy choice.

I felt the net dig into my skin as my mom shot it at me, wrapping my already sore body, and causing me to cry out in pain.

"Jack." My mom said, keeping her face straight. Dad was a different story.

"Yes, dear!" He yelled enthusiastically, the toothy grin on his face practically splitting it in two. I weigh practically nothing in ghost form, and he hefted the net over his shoulder with no problem. "I, Jack Fenton!, have finally caught the ghost boy, Inviso-bill!" He proclaimed loudly, and a startled owl took off from a nearby branch.

Apparently, my broken body had no effect on my wit, for I was able to spit back, "It's Phantom. You would know that if you had ever stopped to talk to me _before_ shooting at me."

Dad's eyebrows pulled down over his eyes, confusion filling his face. "But the news said your name is Inviso-bill."

I scoffed. "Uh, no. Who would have a lame name like that?"

Dad shook his head. At that moment, Mom appeared from the forest in front of us. "Jack," she snapped, and his head whipped from me to her. "No talking to the ghost."

The rest of our journey was in silence, although I had to say I was impressed with how far I was able to get, injured, and on foot, before they caught up with me earlier. It was a good twenty minutes until we managed to get back to the RV. Mom opened the back and Dad threw me in, not bothering to be gentle, and ignoring my cries. I ended up mostly curled in a ball, with my foot stuck under my leg, and my arm twisted uncomfortably over my head.

The motor roared to life, and we were soon off, towards my house and soon-to-be prison. I attempted for a second time to phase through the ropes, but either that shot did something to me, or I was just plain tired. I could hear my parents whispering up in the front, but their voices were an inaudible murmur. About ten minutes into the ride, I actually caught myself dozing off, but was able to snap myself out of it just as the blue rings appeared around my torso. If my parents did decide to dissect me, I could always turn human, last resort.

The huge clamoring vehicle finally ground to a halt, the neon light shining through the glass and onto my face, mocking me with its freedom. The back of the car jerked open, and before I knew it, Mom appeared over me, and shoved a long needle into my arm.

Now, if you've never had a large needle jammed into your arm unexpectedly, I don't recommend it. I could feel the cold metal slide into my flesh, and gasped. The plunger shot down, forcing the foreign liquid into my arm before pulling out, violently. A smear of green welled up on my arm, a single dot.

"What the hell was that?" I shouted.

"Just a slight sedative." Dad informed me. "It should keep you calm, and stop you from using your abilities." Mom glared at him.

Worry welled up in my stomach, but I pushed it down. "It's not like I could use them anyway." I grumbled. Wait, a sedative that blocks ghost powers? I cautiously reached for that warmth inside me, checking, not activating.

Gone.

_Dammit, _I cursed. Well, there goes plan B. My field of options was slowly getting narrower and narrower. My dad once again grabbed the net and hauled me into the house. As we walked through the house, I swept my eyes from side to side, attempting to find Jazz. Of course she would be in her room studying. Dad couldn't keep his accomplishments secret for long, thankfully. In a few minutes he would be running into her room proclaiming, 'Jazzy-pants! Guess what? Your mother and I have finally caught the ghost boy! Come downstairs and watch while we rip him apart, molecule by molecule!'. Jazz, horrified, would call Sam or Tucker, then come flying down the stairs and distract Mom and Dad until one of my friends came by to save me.

I was imagining the lecture Sam would give me when we reached the lab. Dad set the net down in a corner, and Mom activated the ghost shield with the click of a remote. The net around me disappeared with another push of a button. I tumbled onto the floor slightly, groaning. I managed to pull myself into a sitting position and did an injury check.

Slight scratches on my forehead and cheeks from running through the forest, not healing anytime soon with my powers blocked. My shoulders were sore, especially the arm that had been twisted behind me, the one that had received the shot. Ribs were still broken, thanks Skulker. I stopped when I got to my side, taking a deep breath before examine my worst injury.

The blast from my parent's gun had scraped away the top layer of skin, leaving the remaining bleeding ectoplasm slightly. The surrounding site was bright green, slightly blistered from the anti-ecto shot. Thankfully, I wasn't in danger of bleeding out, but it hurt like a mother.

I looked up to see both my parents studying me, two scientists observing an experiment. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before I raised an eyebrow and said "What?"

Dad, looking slightly embarrassed, turned back to whatever he was doing. Mom, on the other hand, continued to gaze at me before grabbing a clipboard and scribbling something down. Great, they were taking notes on me now.

Suddenly, Dad's head shot up. "Mads!" he practically yelled. "We forgot to tell Jazz! She'd want to see this!" I allowed a small grin to creep onto my face, all of the tension knotting up my stomach released in relief.

Mom shook her head. "No sweetie, remember? Jazz is at that late-night study session at the library." Who the fuck has a study session at the library at ten 'o' clock at night? I felt crushed, as if a thousand pound boulder had suddenly dropped onto my chest.

Hopelessness, a feeling I had rarely felt, threatened to overwhelm me. _Look on the bright side, look on the bright side, think positive, there's always a way out. _The mantra repeated in my head. Jazz would come home, what, in a half an hour? Dad would tell her, and she would come rescue me. Or Sam would come over looking for me. I had texted her I had go after Skulker, hadn't I? She would expect a message back, then when she didn't get one, would come over looking for me. If I had texted her.

A voice broke my thoughts. "Alright Mads, we're ready to go!" Dad thundered. I slowly brought up to gaze at the examination table in horror.

"Jack, could you grab the ghost for me, please?" Dad lumbered over to the ghost shield while Mom double checked the ghost-proof restraints.

Dad scooped me into his arms, and I tried to struggle, but was surprisingly sluggish. _God damn sedative._ My brain worked fine, of course, it was my body that was affected.

"The sedative is working well." Mom commented, scribbling more down on her clipboard. Dad laid me out on the table, securing my wrists and ankles. I noted that he left what appeared to be a head restraint where it was.

Even though it was slower than usual, I managed to speak. "Kinky." I said, and Dad laughed. Mom just seemed to roll her eyes, although hard to tell through goggles.

"We're going to start with the physical examination." She said, handing the clipboard to Dad. A large pair of scissors appeared in her hand, and my heart rate picked up. I flinched as dread as she lowered them to my chest, preparing to slice me open…

* * *

**Alright, so, I started a new story. I haven't actually liked anything I've been writing recently, but I'm surprisingly proud of this one. I'm already working of the second chapter, but I am infrequent, at best, with my updates. This will not be a super long fic, just a couple chapters or so, but I'm attempting to write longer stuff. I've always had problems with starting an idea and not finishing it, like everything else I've ever wrote. Anyway, hopefully I'll actually be able to finish this one, and it won't end up on hiatus. I've always been jealous of you people who can write a whole bunch, like my brother whose 10,000 words short of a novel on his story. -Shakes fist at him- **

**Anyway. Review if you want, it may make me write faster. I don't know. I'm tired. Finals. **

**Later Gator,**

**NerdyWriterGirl**


	2. Dissection

**A/N: So, I never post this quickly. Well, not usually. I think if I do update it, I'm going to aim for Friday nights, because I checked the view graph and it had the most Friday and Saturday. Yeah, so... Okay, I'm having a little bit of a hard time with angst, this is the first story where I've used a serious form of it, so if Danny comes off a little wimpy, cut me some slack. Leave a review with what you think about that...**_  
_

**Also, I'm sorry about this chapter length. I could have posted more, but this stopping point was too good. I'm going to aim for the next update next Friday, that's the eighth, but I have a winter guard competition the next day, so no promises. Anyway, onward!**

****_Previously..._

_"We're going to start with the physical examination." She said, handing the clipboard to Dad. A large pair of scissors appeared in her hand, and my heart rate picked up. I flinched as dread as she lowered them to my chest, preparing to slice me open…_

…and breathed a sigh of relief when all that cut into me was the cold air of the lab. Opening my eyes, I watched as she cut off the remains of my shirt. She frowned at the wound, and mumbled; "Hmmm… that should have done a lot more damage. I wonder if it started healing…" She examined it, her latex gloves feeling odd against my skin. She worked her way up to my ribcage, feeling the broken bones and ignoring my cries of protest.

"Jack, it appears it has several broken ribs, amazing." She breathed. "They-… they actually feel real. I can practically feel _bone_."

"Yeah, and I can feel the pain from you poking me." I shot back at her, and she ignored me.

"And… it feels like it has a heart-like organ, here." She tapped me on the chest, then leaned down to listen. "Jack, get me a stethoscope." I winced at the cold metal. She listened for a few seconds. "It's like the ectoplasm it's made out of is synthesizing a heart, pumping 'blood' through veins." Jack scribbled, trying to keep up with my mom.

She turned to me. "I think you are probably one of the most 'complete' ghosts I have come into contact with." I grinned at her.

"Thanks, now if I could only get a girlfriend…" Eh, not my best.

The examination continued with mom pointing out all the things odd about me. Nothing harmful, just like going to a doctor's office. I actually started to doze off, and didn't realize she was done until one of my pant legs was gone, my ectoplasm had been collected, and hair had been plucked.

It wasn't until the scalpels came out that I was wide awake.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there." I said. "Ah, let's not go overboard." Oh god, they were going to cut me open. My own parents were going to cut into me, dissect me like a rat.

"We need to find out how you work. You're physiology is remarkable human, and we need to find out what makes you so different from other ghosts." Her voice was flat and emotionless.

_I can tell you what makes me so different. _"Come on, don't you want to ask me a few questions first?"

"Quiet, ghost." Came the snarled reply, straight out of Mom's mouth. She turned to Dad. "Scalpel, please." He locked my head down with the restraint before handing the deadly tool to mom.

"Please!" I begged as she slowly lowered the instrument to my chest. Mom hesitated, and looked at my father. He nodded, encouraging her, although much wasn't needed. The cold metal pressed into my chest.

I guess I thought I would get out of it some way. I mean, I always did, how would this be any different? I'm not a horribly optimistic person, better than Sam, but I've always been ridiculously lucky. Sometimes it gets pretty ridiculous, how convenient these things are. Like the time Spectra infected the school with ghost bugs. Not only did I conveniently have Dad's handkerchief in my pocket, but somehow Tucker's perfume repelled the bugs. How lucky is that?

Getting back to the point, I thought, _believed_ I would get out of it. Jazz, Sam, Tucker, Clockwork, or, god forbid, I would even be happy with Vlad at that moment. He wouldn't have let my parents dissect me. He may be a bad guy, but not _that_ evil. But he didn't. No one came. At that moment, as my _own mother_ cut into the skin on my chest, I kind of realized that I was all alone.

I might have screamed, or I may have stayed silent in surprise. I'm pretty sure I went into shock after that, because I don't remember much. But I do remember the pain. That hot, searing pain, ripping through my chest.

Words blurred through my head. "Look!... Jack… Heart… Ectoplasm… Amazing…" It wasn't until they were closing my chest back up that I snapped out of it. And it wasn't because of the fact that they were done and currently sowing up my chest. It was because a door slammed upstairs.

"Jazz, sweetie? That you?" Maddie called up to her.

"Yeah! The study session ran late! Who the heck runs a study session at midnight? I didn't want to stay, but I had to help tutor some football players."

Oh, the irony.

I heard her voice drawing closer. Top of the basement stairs.

"You guys down in the lab?" She called down.

"Yep. Working on our new experiment!" Jack yelled. _Please say what it is. Please say what it is. Please say what it is. _

"You should get to bed. Danny's been doing homework since this afternoon, if he's still up playing video games or something, could you please tell him to go to bed?" Maddie asked. Haha, double irony.

"Alright." Jazz said, and started to move away from the doorway. This was my only chance.

"Jazz." I managed to whisper. Hmm, I must have been screaming. My throat was really raw. Maddie and Jack's heads whipped around to me. The footsteps kept going. "Jazz!" I yelled. They stopped, and I could just imagine Jazz turning her head back to the door. "JAZZ!" I screamed, tears, for the first time, breaking around my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. Again, could practically see her face of wonder turn slowly to horror as she realized what was going on, what Jack's experiment was.

She burst into the lab, gasping in terror as she saw me. "Danny!" She screamed, running towards the table. Maddie and Jack stood there in stunned silence, not understanding what was going on.

"Jazz." I rasped, voice full of relief. She was crying, rubbing my cheek in an attempt at comfort. Then she looked down at the rest of my body, eyes widening at the new sutures in my chest.

"Jazz…" Maddie tried, but she looked at her mother in horror.

"You get away from him! Release him, right now! You two… are just… sick!" I'd never seen Jazz that angry. It would have been scary, aside from recent events redefining the word. Her eyes scanned the table, finally finding the release remote between two scientific instruments covered in my ectoplasm.

With my limbs finally free, I did the only thing I could think of to do at the time. I grabbed my sister and buried my head in her shoulder, flat out sobbing. I know, I know, not my best moment. But I had just been partially dissected alive by my own parents. Cut me some slack. I could feel her hand stroking through my hair, whispering "It'll be alright." and "I'm here." in my ear.

Maddie was the one that finally spoke up. "What-… what are you doing?" She asked in a quiet voice. I felt Jazz's head jerk up, and give her what I assume was a crippling death stare.

"I am _comforting_ a poor, innocent, _person_ who has done more protecting in this community than _you two _could ever hope of doing." The acid in her voice was so strong I thought a few drops from her mouth might accidentally fall and burn my back. She turned back to me. "Danny? Hey, do you think you can walk? Please?" She wanted get me out of there.

"Danny?" Dad asked, breaking his silence for the first time. "I thought his name was Phantom…" His voice was surprisingly quiet. Everyone ignored him.

Somehow, Jazz managed to pry my arms from around her. She bent down, eyelevel, and smiled at me. "Hey, can you walk? At least try, For me?" I managed to nod. I slid onto my feet… and promptly collapsed. Jazz managed to catch me, but under my arms. She winced as I gasped in pain.

"Jazz, you can't just let him go. He's a ghost! Be rational!" Maddie scolded her, and I could feel Jazz trembling with rage.

"I will be back to deal with you two in a minute." She said quietly, her voice dangerously even. I managed to get one arm around Jazz's neck without too much pain, but after a few steps and we were getting nowhere, she just picked me up and carried me, bridal style. Not my manliest moment.

She took me into her room, setting me on the bed. "Danny, can you change back? You need to conserve your energy, for healing." I shook my head.

"Sedative," I whispered. "They… injected me with something. I… I couldn't turn back." Fresh tears rolled down my face, but I managed to pull myself together. I was already feeling embarrassed about my breakdown earlier. Jazz's face hardened.

She turned to walk out of the room. "I'll deal with them." She said quietly, before turning back to me. "You stay here. Try to get some sleep?" We both knew that couldn't happen, but she gave me a small, sad, smile anyway.

About a minute later her screams drifted out of the basement. I didn't really listen, I was too busy trying to block out the fresh wound in my mind. Flashes of glinting silver instruments, the drip of my own ectoplasm, Maddie's quiet voice, all surfaced, one at a time. It was then that the blue rings appeared around my waist, turning me human.

Of course, the sedative would wear off now. I guess that's how my universe worked, huh. Maybe those two years of good luck, always escaping, convenient holes in plans, or weaknesses, were finally catching up to me. Perhaps I was making up for all that, all in one night, the worst night of my life.

Now that I was human, I was finally able to drift off to sleep. _Huh, I guess Jazz and I were wrong_ was my last thought as I drifted off to sleep.

**Yeah! So! Let me know what you thought about_ that._ I'm not going to force you to review, but they do make me happy, they also please my imaginary boyfriend, David. Again, sorry it's short. And Danny's a little wimpy. But, okay, what he just went through, okay? Yeah.**

**Later Gator, **

**NerdyWriterGirl**


	3. The Next Day

**I am so so so so so so so so so so SO sorry I didn't update this sooner. SOOO sorry. I am a terrible person. -sobs-**

**Well, now that that little break down is over and done with, here's the next chapter! I had some real issues writing some parts of this chapter, and I'm not entirely happy with it. Oh well. You awesome people deserve it. Let me know how you feel with a review. **

**NOTE: I'm not sure if I said this in earlier chapters, but this story is set basicly after the show, just with no PP. So Kindered Spirits happened, but not the disasteroid. Okay, that's not really important, but whatever.**

**00000000000000000000 **

I woke to the sounds of whispering.

I opened one of my eyes to Jazz's room. Jazz herself was nowhere to see, but I could guess whose whispers were drifting in from the hall. I tried to pull myself out of bed, and gasped in pain. Streaks of red hot agony ripped itself through my chest, and I curled my hands into the sheets, gritting my teeth in an attempt to not cry out.

Once the ache died down, I peeled back my t-shirt. I noticed that it was a dark brownish-red, the flecks of green too small to really be noticeable, my blood had seeped through it in the night. The wound on my chest wasn't any better. I had really healed pretty well, considering.

Green, purple, black, and brown bruises dotted my chest around the incisions, which had been sewed with medical thread. It seemed weird, having my skin sown together. Most of the cuts were closed, the only thing running across my chest bright red scars. I could see, in some places, the red had started turning to thick white tissue, but I knew it would be at least a week until all of it healed.

The whispers came from the hall again. I crept towards the door, now able to stand, and cocked my head. My excellent hearing was able to pick up the conversation.

"Jazz, we know you have it in there. We have to keep it contained! It's dangerous!" That would be Maddie. I felt the bile rising in my throat. I think I'm going to be sick.

"Mom, for the last time! _He _has done nothing wrong! I will not allow you to go in there and hurt him anymore! God knows you have done enough damage!" Jazz shot back.

"Jazz, it's for the good of the whole city! You are our daughter, and you will do what I say. This is my house, and may I remind you that this door is a privilege. A privilege that has just been revoked. Jack, go get the screwdriver. This door is coming off." Maddie's voice was calm and calculating… just like… just like…

"Mom!" Jazz practically screamed.

Jack's thundering voice rose up. "Who needs a screwdriver, Mads? I can bust this door down right now, and we can rip that ghost apart, molecule by molecule!" My whole stomach heaved and I made a run for it.

"Jack, wait!" But he had already burst down the door into a surprisingly empty room. He and Maddie looked around confused, with Jazz peering in through the doorway. It was then that Jazz heard me in the bathroom.

"Danny!" She yelled, running into the room I had phased into all of ten seconds ago. Here I sat, on the cold tile floor, emptying the contents of my stomach into the porcelain bowl. My chest ached as I gagged and retched. It had all been too much. Maddie and Jack must have heard Jazz's yell because they burst into the bathroom.

"Ghost boy-… oh Danny. It's just you." Jack's battle cry came and died.

"Honey, are you alright? Did you eat something bad?" Maddie's voice was full of concern, which only made me sicker.

Jazz put herself between us. "Mom, Dad, I think Danny has the flu. He probably needs to stay home today. Too many nights up late studying." Mom came closer, an attempt to comfort me. "You don't want to get too close. Might be contagious. Don't you have something to study in the lab?" Her voice was steely with anger.

"Of course! Come on Mads!" And with that, Jack grabbed Maddie's hand and they disappeared into the lab.

"Thanks Jazz." I said, leaning against the bathtub. "I don't think… I don't think I can deal with them right now."

"Of course." She replied, sitting next to me on the floor. "How are you?" Her voice was soft.

I leaned my head onto her shoulder.

"Sorry. Standard question." She replied. "How could they do this?" She demanded.

"Jazz, cut them some slack. They didn't know." How could they do this? To me? Their own son? "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I got sloppy. I should have been paying more attention." Jazz shot me a look.

"Danny, it's important for you to know that this is _not your fault._ This is your obsession talking. You're trying to protect them, which is okay, but they should have never done what they did to you, or to any ghost for that matter. Well, maybe Vlad…" She bit her lip and looked at me, a slight smile gracing her lips.

I could feel my expression harden. "No." I said sternly. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even Vlad."

An awkward silence filled the room, finally broken by Jazz flushing the toilet. "Well, let's get you back to your room. I want you to take it easy today. NO ghost fighting, no going into the basement, and no sneaking out. Do not make me put up the ghost shield, mister." She grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet, leading me into my room.

I raised my hands up. "Don't worry, I barely made it through the bathroom was as it is. No ghost hunting. Do you think you could discretely slip a note into Val's locker telling her to pick up the slack?" Valerie and Phantom still were not on the best terms, she still liked to hunt me for fun, but at this point she understood that I did indeed get rid of some of the ghosts in the town. If Jazz explained I was down and out for the count, she wouldn't expect me to go after some of the ghosts, saving time that people could get hurt.

"And you don't have to worry about me going… down there. I- I don't think I can handle _them _right now." I felt my eyes water up again, and I swiped at them angrily.

"Of course." Jazz nodded. "Get some sleep. I'll be back around four. Try to stay in your room as much as possible. Oh, and lock the door." She sent me one last concerned look before disappearing down the hallway. I closed my door and laid down in bed, pulling on a new shirt and hiding the bloody one in my wall with the rest.

I tried to fall back asleep, the wound sending phantom aches up my spine. My own parents. My own god-damn parents. They had cut me apart like some science experiment. They didn't know. Didn't know it was… me. But that's no excuse. What they did to me is beyond inhumane, even for ghosts. All those ghosts out there who threaten me, beat me up, pick on me, not a single one would do something like that. Skulker is really the only one would come close, but he would have the decency to at least knock me out first. No, this was a live dissection. A vivisection.

And my fault. No, ugh. This obsession of mine always made me protect people. To be the hero. And the hero always takes the blame. Taking the blame for knocking down a building when Technus did it, taking the blame for Dash's bad grades and letting him beat me up for it, taking the blame off Jack and Maddie to save them from Jazz's wrath. Protecting people. In a way, I was actually glad for all those other ghosts attacking the town. If I didn't have this obsession, god, I don't want to know what else it would have been. I Could have ended up like Vlad. I think the ghosts know that, too.

With thoughts swirling around my head, for the second time, I drifted off to sleep.

**00000000000**

**(A/N! Momentary perspective change! Bum-bum-baaaaa!) **

Down in the lab, the hanging overhead lights, just two on, cast an eerie glow over the workspace. Two figures, one clad in orange the other in blue, sat around a computer screen. The orange figure sat hunched over the electronic, it's mass seeming tiny compared to the bulk of the man, typing and squinting at the screen. The blue figure sat, off to the side, on an office type chair. She spun slowly around, waiting for her husband to finish printing results.

_It's terrible Danny has the flu._ She thought. _I wonder if he's doing alright._ Her thoughts quickly flicked off her younger child and focused on her elder. _What in the world made Jazz act like that?_ _Hadn't we taught her better?_ Maddie had raised both of her children to hate ghosts, just as her mother had raised her, and her grandmother her mother. Same with Jack's side of the family. _Then what on earth possessed her to stand up for that ghost?_ Possesed… hmmm…

The printer, on the other side of the room, began printing out results. Jack jumped up and ran over to collect them. He ran past an examination table in the middle of the room. A thick, dark green substance coated both table and floor, and bits of flesh and gore could be seen mixed into the horrible liquid. _Dark green stains…_ the blue figure thought once again, _I saw these upstairs, why would they be there? On…_ her thoughts were interrupted.

"Mads! I have the results of the blood analysis." Jack handed her a copy, before his eyebrows dipped in confusion. "This doesn't make any sense…"

"Traces of… iron? Plasma? Red blood cells? That means… _Human DNA?!"_ Maddie's eyes flew open at shock in this discovery. She lowered the papers once again, staring at the green ghost blood, coating her life's work, her house, even under her fingernails.

_Upstairs, in the bathroom. Danny had green stains on his shirt._

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I awoke to a thump outside my bedroom window.

I groggily rolled to my side, wincing in pain, and stared at the pane of glass. Through the slightly open window, what appeared to be a grappling hook sat wedged into the sill. Confused, I, slowly, pulled myself up, ignoring the ache.

I watched, curiously, as a pale hand with black nail polish grabbed the frame. Then another. A dark mop of hair appeared, followed by the face of my best-friend-almost-girlfriend-but-not-really, Sam. Her eyes glanced around nervously, and she was biting her lip.

"Danny?" She whispered, and peered at the bed. A bitter-sweet smile lit up her face when she saw me, and I returned the look. "Hey. How are you doing?" Sam pulled herself into my room.

"Fine." I replied automatically, although I was feeling the opposite. There I go again, protecting Sam from the truth.

"Liar." She accused me. I looked down at my hands, fidgeting in my lap.

"Wait, why aren't you at school?" I asked as the realization dawned on me. Her face twisted into one of the innocent looks she gave her parents every time she did something bad.

"Jazz… might have told Tucker and I what happened and suggested I bring you lunch. So… so you don't have to go downstairs." She held out a nasty burger bag.

"Sam! You shouldn't be skipping school for me!" Sam looked a little disappointed at this. "Thanks, that was really sweet." I finally said. She sat down on the bed next to me and we ate in silence.

Loud noises came from downstairs. My… Jack and Maddie were doing something in the lab. _I wonder if they're dissecting another ghost._ My thoughts immediately turned. The red hot searing pain that made its way down my chest as the scalpel cut into it. Maddie's hands ripping apart my flesh in order to get a better look at what made me go. Her calm voice over the whole thing.

"Danny." Maddie said, her hands stained green with ectoplasm, looming over me. Every cell in my body was screaming in pain, and she smiled. Her teeth were sharp and jagged. "Danny!" She yelled at me, her voice twisted and high, like a witch cackling. Her grin grew impossibly wide, and she opened her mouth, revealing a pitch black chasm. With one last cackle, she lunged at me, swallowing me, and I fell through the darkness.

"DANNY!" Sam yelled for the third time, shaking my shoulders. I blinked away the darkness to see a figure looming over me. I panicked, and scooted away from the figure, trying desperately to get away. Suddenly, my hand hit air and I fell over the other side of the bed.

"Ugh…" I moaned, clutching my chest. Damn it, that hurt. I wiped tears from my eyes and looked up to see Sam's concerned face.

"Danny, are-… are you okay? What happened?" She moved, slowly and cautiously, off the bed towards me.

"Uh, yeah." I wiped more tears away. What the fuck was that?

"Your eyes… went kind of… blank for a second. And then you started freaking out. What happened?"

"I'm fine." I rolled up. "I just… uh… fell asleep for a second. Then you startled me." I rubbed my head, which was throbbing in time with my chest.

Sam looked at me skeptically.

I forced myself to grin. "Fine. I promise." I managed to get Sam to agree to not talk about… what happened for the rest of the time she was there.

I finally managed to kick her out at twelve-thirty, knowing she would end up late to fourth period if I didn't.

It was fifteen minutes later when I heard the knocking on my door.

"Danny? Sweetie? I brought you some lunch. Chicken noodle soup." Maddie's voice came through the door. I flinched when I heard her, and felt my body tense in the instinct of protection.

"Uh, I think I'm good. I don't really want any lunch… It'll probably just end up coming back up anyway." I tried to think up a good excuse.

She paused for a minute outside before speaking again. "You know, you really should try to eat something." She tried my door, and I froze in terror as the knob jiggled. "Why do you have your door locked?" She asked.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. I had to come up with a good excuse. "Uh… I don't want you guys getting my flu." Nice save, Fenton.

Maddie seemed ready to argue with me on that, but let it be and left with a final "Alright, honey. You just feel better then."

I sunk down into the bed, relief filling my body as she left. I glanced at my backpack, trying to decide if I should do homework or not, before finally settling on video games. You know, to get my mind off of things.

I can't wait until Jazz gets home.

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**SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo there ya go. **

**By the way, I happen to be in London right now (Shout out to all my English readers! ^_^) and I was at the Tower of London the other day, and found out that if I would have been there half an hour earlier I would have seen them filming Doctor Who. I was also at Piccadilly Circus during the shots in Trafalgar Square, and if we would have gone to The Hard Rock Cafe as planned, I would have seen it. I feel like life hates me right now. I can't even go on Tumblr without crying. **

**Anyway, let me know how you guys like this chapter. Review for the British kid named Charlie I'm currently babysitting! He with send you virtual cookies! **

**Later Gator, **

**NerdyWriterGirl**


	4. It Gets a Little Worse

**Hello my dear, dear, dear, dear dear deardeardear readers.**

**I, first of all, would like to apologize for both how long it has taken me to posting this new chapter, and length of said chapter. I had a pre-determined plot all set out for this, but suddenly had new inspiration and decided to re-plot the entire thing. What does this mean for you? Actually, virtually nothing. The only place the story has changed is in my own mind. The previous chapter are still perfectly fine with the new story as the old. It does mean that the description for this story will change, though. **

**I've been blubbering on for far too long here, so I'll just let you read.**

_**Previously: (A short summery)**_

_**Danny was out late one night, fighting ghosts. The Fentons capture him, and vivisect him. Quite gruesome stuff. Jazz eventually comes to his rescue, putting her somewhat at odds with Maddie and Jack. Said parents test some ecto-samples taken from their ghostly enemy and deduce it's a bit too, well, human. Maddie remembers seeing something on Danny's shirt, and suspicions are hinted at. Danny stays home from school, feigning the flu, and Sam pops in for a visit. There's a bit of mental trauma on Danny's part. That's basically it...**_

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Maddie tried to talk me into coming downstairs for dinner.

Early that evening, I had woken to Jazz rapping at my door. I managed to haul myself out of bed, and unlocked it for her. The embarrassing part was when she had to help me back to bed.

"Danny, you really shouldn't be pushing yourself." She said gently.

"I seem to remember that someone was banging on my door, wanting to come in. And the only was said person _could_ come in was if I unlocked the door. So person shouldn't be lecturing me about taking it easy." I grumbled.

She let out a small laugh. "I guess someone's a little grumpy from his nap."

And it was true, I was feeling moody. My whole body ached, all the way down into my bones. And my chest felt tight, it was a little harder to breath than usual. I crawled into bed and curled up into a ball, or, at least, I tried to.

"Well, good thing I come bearing gifts." Jazz announced. She produced a bottle of water and those super-extra strength pain pills. I snatched them from her and downed practically half the pack.

The thing about being not-quite-human was that I ended up with a faster metabolism. E.g., things kicked in faster, but they also stopped working quickly and I had to take a lot of, in this case, Advil.

"My next gift you won't thank me so much for. I ran into Mr. Lancer in the hall today, and he was kind enough to give me tonight's homework of yours." I ignored her, simply feeling the drugs kick in and my agony lessening.

Jazz just stood there for a while, looking at me. I didn't meet her eyes, but there was a tension in the room that almost echoed the one in my chest.

"How are you doing?" She finally said, sitting down on the bed. I didn't answer and silence filled the room, or, as silent as it could be with Maddie and Jack preparing dinner downstairs.

"Thank you."

Jazz looked surprised. "For what?" She asked.

"Everything." I whispered. "For bringing me medicine, for sending Sam, for taking care of me this morning-…" I paused. "For protecting me from them last night." I could feel the tears coming on again. _Green, ectoplasm splashed everywhere, reflected, glinting in their goggles._

"Oh Danny." She said, scooping me up in a big hug. We just sat there for a moment, the softness on her long black shirt against my face, the comfort of her arms sheltering me. I wiped the tears from my eyes and squeezed back.

"This is so sweet! I should have brought my camera!" Came a voice from the door.

Every muscle in my body stiffened. I heard it, echoing through my mind, razor sharp, quickening my breath. _The saw next, Jack. I want to cut through its rib cage._

Jazz shifted, putting me behind her subtly.

"Maddie." Her voice was firm and cold. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to check and see how Danny was doing. His door was locked when I came up earlier." Her face was like stone when she addressed Jazz, but softening on the second part of the statement. She tried to peer around my sister to see me, and Jazz's grip on me tightened a little. "Are you going to be down for dinner?" She asked me. A light appeared in her eyes, care and… suspicion? I knew that look anywhere. It was the same look she got when I gave her the regular excuse for getting home past curfew.

I tried to open my mouth, to say something, but the tightness in my chest constricted, making it even hard to breath. I felt like I was going to throw up again. It seemed like Jazz was shaking in front of me, but I realized I was the one trembling.

"He's still too sick. I think some more rest will do him good. I'll bring his food up after dinner." Her statements were short and crisp, clearly dismissing both the matter and Maddie.

Maddie folded her arms, her lips pursing, eyes glinting. "I want to hear it from Danny."

Dread filled my heart. I was going to need more of those pain killers. "I-… I'm g-g-good." I managed to choke out.

She frowned, a concerned look on her face. She was… studying me. "You really don't sound good, sweetie. Maybe you should stay home again tomorrow."

I managed a nod, not trusting myself to try to speak again. She shot me one last curious glance before turning and going downstairs again.

My relief came in the form of huge gasps in an attempt to get air into my lungs again. Jazz simply rested a hand on my shoulder, giving me my own time to bring myself together again. I managed to calm down, steadying my shaking.

"Everything will get better, Danny." Jazz said, running fingers through my hair. "Don't worry. Everything will be all right."

When I pulled myself together, I looked at my sister. "Jazz, did she seem… suspicious at all to you? Like-… like she was, well, examining me?"

Jazz shot me a curious look before mumbling to herself. "I don't think so, Danny. You shouldn't think too much into it, alright? Try to get some rest." She ruffled my hair.

She left after that, and went downstairs, most likely to get into another argument with Jack and Maddie. I tried to do my homework, I really did, but my mind kept flashing back to last night, the smiles on their faces, the… gore… it's hard to think about, but that didn't stop my stupid subconscious from blasting images at me.

Deciding work was too mind-numbing, I figured that sleep was my only option for relief from the waking nightmare. Unfortunately, (the other half bottle of Advil later,) I found myself trapped in a real nightmare I had no hopes from escaping.

Shapes were twisted around each other, the table I was strapped to turning and curling. Jack's face stared down at me, lines of blood streaming from his goggles, ectoplasm sloshing around inside. His smile seemed impossibly wide, cutting through his square face to spill into the background.

Maddie's face was similar to the one I had seen earlier in my… panic attack. Her mouth was open particularly wide, and her teeth were jagged, as though someone had broken them off. I could see red eyes burning through the goggles, flames licking across her red hair.

They cackled, and I tried to thrash against the straps, but each attempted struggle caused pain to rip through my entire body, causing me to convulse more. It was a vicious circle.

Their hands were draped in green, and they pulled out my organs, one by one, showing them to me.

**00000000000000**

**(A/N: Another momentary perspective change… Apologizes…) **

_Has Danny always been so… jumpy?_ Maddie asked herself, mindlessly pulling out a salad bowl. She attempted to push the guilt at upsetting her daughter out of her mind, focusing on her son.

_He seemed a bit shaken up. _She pulled the salad out of the fridge, pretending to listen to Jack rambling on about ghosts again, nodding at appropriate times. Her mind flickered over the ectoplasm samples they had collected, with the odd findings.

_And what was with-… what I thought I saw this morning? Green on his shirt… And then he locked his door? _Her mind jumped back and forth from the two things troubling her, making connections….

_Phantom's human DNA contained within ectoplasm… Danny, looking afraid… Phantom, such an odd ghost, so… human like… Danny, with some sort of green substance on the front of his shirt…_

Two problems merged into one.

"Jack," The giant man looked up at his wife, who had paused from tossing the salad.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember Danny coming home last night? He said he was going to go out with his friends, right?" Maddie asked.

Jack scratched his head, eyebrows furled in concentration. "No, not really." He beamed. "He probably came home while we were down in the lab, dissecting the ghost boy! It's too bad, he should have come down, seen his father, the great Jack Fenton, finally riding this town of the ghost menace!"

Maddie looked back down at the salad, which was ready minutes ago. She grabbed the tongs and continued tossing, lost again inside her mind.

_Did Danny come home last night, or…?_

_Is there a connection between my son, and-…?_

"Jack, honey." Maddie interrupted the ramble that he had started back up again. She glanced towards the stairs, looking for any sign of her daughter coming down. "Do you think… it would be possible…"

"Yes?" Jack asked, already starting to get distracted.

"If a ghost was overshadowing a human, do you think that the human's DNA could show up in the ghost's ectoplasm?" _Was it possible that that's what it is? Somehow, Phantom managed to keep his appearance while overshadowing-… a human, and that's why his form was so odd for a ghosts? _

"Are you talking about the ghost kid?" Jack asked. "I still can't believe that we finally caught him!" His rant started back up.

_If we vivisected Phantom, and my theory is correct, does that mean… does that mean we vivisected _Danny_ as well?_

**0000000000000**

**Haha, I had to go back and make sure this story was rated T. I also felt very gratuitous with the "..."'s... hmm... **

**I REALLY apologize for not replying to reviews. I'm a bit... socially awkward, especially when it comes to compliments! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WANT YOU TO STOP REVIEWING! I take your happy compliments and turn them into fuel to continue writing!**

**Again, don't expect another chapter for a while, I'm off to color guard camp!**

**God, life got stressful. I'm still glad you took the time to read this even though this chapter is a pitiful excuse for one. **

**As always, you could check out some of my other stories... if you feel the need...**

**And for God's sake, leave a review!**

**Later Gator,**

**NerdyWriterGirl**


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